Captain Falcon

Smash Attacks

SIDE SMASH

Captain Falcon attacks forward with a powerful elbow strike. This can be aimed up or down.

DOWN SMASH

Captain Falcon kicks forward then backward. These two hits do not combo.

UP SMASH

Captain Falcon jumps into the air and spins while kicking vertically. This attack has good vertical KO power.

Basic Attacks

Standing Attack

Two punches followed by a knee or rapid strikes.

Forward Tilt

Captain Falcon kicks forward horizontally. This can be aimed up or down.

Up Tilt

A downward heel kick attack that has a meteor effect, bouncing opponents off the ground.

Down Tilt

A sweep attack with decent range and damage.

Dash Attack

A running shoulder charge.

Edge Attack

Captain Falcon pulls himself back up then sweeps the opponent’s legs.

Air Attacks

Neutral Air Attack

Captain Falcon performs two spinning kick attacks in front of him.

Up Air Attack

A big flipkick attack.

Down Air Attack

Captain Falcon stomps downward with both feet. This attack has a meteor effect.

Forward Air Attack

This jumping knee attack has some good launching power when you see it sparkle!

Back Air Attack

Captain Falcon rotates to attack behind him with his arm.

Special Attacks

Falcon Punch (Neutral Special)

Captain Falcon charges up for a moment before releasing his trademark punch. You can swap directions of the punch for extra damage by hitting the opposite direction early in the charge-up animation.

Raptor Boost (Side Special)

Captain Falcon dashes forward to launch his opponents with an uppercut. If he doesn’t make contact with anyone, he falls to the ground. If you do this while airborne, be sure to land on a stage because you enter a fall state on whiff. When used in the air, if the move hits an opponent on the top of his or her head, it will have a meteor effect.

Falcon Dive (Up Special)

This jumping attack turns into a throw attack if you connect with an opponent. Useful for both recovery and attacking, but you are in a fall state on whiff. On hit, you can perform the attack again without waiting to land first.

Falcon Kick (Down Special)

This jumpkick attack differs greatly depending on whether it’s used in the air or on the ground. In the air, Captain Falcon kicks downward diagonally. From the ground, Captain Falcon kicks sideways.

Final Smash

Blue Falcon

Captain Falcon calls in his vehicle, the Blue Falcon. The Blue Falcon swoops in from the screen and hits all characters in its path, sending them to a track. Captain Falcon is then shown driving the Blue Falcon to run over his opponents, blasting them into the air. The move deals about 40% damage to everyone it hits and knocks them back upward in the direction Captain Falcon is facing. Generally, use this when a character is closer to the side of a stage or else the knockback won’t be enough to get the KO. The range on the Blue Falcon arriving is fairly limited, but it is still able to hit at least three characters if they are bunched together.

Strategy

While Captain Falcon is a medium-weight character, the damage and recovery on some of his attacks might make you believe he is a heavyweight. He has a fast run speed on the ground, good air mobility, and decent range on his attacks. His aerials are fairly quick and have good range and power as well. A lot of his attacks have unfavorable recovery, however, as well as a dependency on hitting the sweet spots of moves to be most effective. For example, his Forward Air attack can deal 19% damage and knockback far if you hit it perfectly. But if you don’t hit it perfectly, this can be as low as 3%! Fortunately, this is the most extreme example, and the rest of his aerial attacks have a smaller range of damage output. Overall, Captain Falcon must rely on timing, spacing, and his survivability to do well.

Falcon Punch is one of the most iconic moves in the series and can deal a lot of damage and knockback. Just be sure you have sufficient time to pull off this attack. Unlike Ganondorf’s version, Captain Falcon’s version doesn’t have any sort of super armor, so you can easily be hit out of the startup of this attack. Raptor Boost is great at closing distance and can even go through some projectiles. But it is fairly slow, so players can see it coming. When used in the air, though, its meteor effect can be useful, especially when edge-guarding. Edge-guard while on stage because you are in a fall state after using this in the air. Similarly, use Falcon Kick to close distance on the ground. From the air, use Falcon Kick’s downward trajectory to edge-guard as well. Falcon Dive is best used for recovery but can also be used as an air grab to surprise opponents. If off-stage with multiple opponents, hit and repeat this, as you can use it again when you connect with it in the air.

In the air, Captain Falcon has a variety of options. His Up Air is a huge flipkick attack that has good range and knockback. His Forward Air has incredible knockback and damage potential, but as previously mentioned, you have to hit on the sweet spot. It also has a lot of recovery when used low to the ground and starts up a little slowly, so consider this before using it. Down Air is best used for its meteor smash, especially when you’re off-stage. On the ground, Captain Falcon’s best options are Side Smash for horizontal KOs and Up Smash for vertical KOs. When edge-guarding, you can also use Falcon Punch against returning opponents. In general, use your speed to approach opponents, the range on your Neutral Air to keep opponents away, and close distance with Raptor Boost or Falcon Kick. Find opportunities to land your Falcon Punch, Forward Air, Side Smash, and Up Smash to rack up damage with throws when possible.

Recovery

Captain Falcon has an average set of recovery options. For horizontal recovery, use his Raptor Boost, but note that you enter a fall state if it fails to reach the stage. For vertical recovery, use his Falcon Dive. You can aim it a bit to the left or right once it begins but not by much. Finally, use Falcon Kick when returning to the stage from high above, but it’s risky because you can self-destruct if you miss the stage.